10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Awful Customer Service
Date of Review: Apr 5, 2008
The Bottom Line: The unit emits a chemical odor and is prone to problems. Customer service is non-existent.
The manual lists multiple phone numbers and promises to be there if you need any kind of help with the product. The reality is that they only answer the phone M-F during business hours and can't even tell you where the nearest authorized service center is or what an error code means.
I've had my unit for about 18 months. It suddenly stopped cooling on a Friday afternoon and displayed "E3" in the temperature window. After waiting until Monday to be able to talk to " customer service ", I was told that they didn't know what the error message meant and couldn't refer me to an authorized repair facility because their system only handles units under warranty. "Warranty" to them only applies to the first year you own it even though the compressor (which could well have been the cause of my problem) has a 5-year warranty. In short, I was on my own.
I called a local appliance repair company and was lucky enough to get somebody who cared about my problem. He called customer service and was directed to a special line for repair technicians where he was able to get a translation of the error message (defrost sensor)and a part number. The company is supposed to be shipping the $4.50 part to me.
If I hadn't found a helpful technician, I would have had to pay for one service call to diagnose the problem, wait for the part, and pay for a second call to install it (or just give up and buy another cooler).
I also contacted Wine Enthusiast (where I purchased the unit)to ask for help getting the problem resolved. They were quick to say they refer all repair issues to the manufacturer. In other words, if you buy anything from them , you're on your own.
